‘Music in the Dark’: A Reflective Case Study on Music Therapy Work with One Woman in a Red-Light District in Kolkata,India

Abstract

The United Nations (UN 2009) report that India is a source, destination and transit country for sex trafficking. Those with learning disabilities, or other psychosocial difficulties, are thought to be most at risk. By working in conjunction with a charity in the middle of the red-light area in Kolkata that gives support to women affected by HIV I have offered music therapy to women in this district in order to support their psychological and emotional health in the context of trauma, and to children with learning disabilities. Through the therapeutic relationship and process, it is considered that aspects of trauma and self may be given the opportunity to be heard and explored, resulting in the individual's journey becoming less isolated and fragmented.

This article describes individual work with one woman. In this reflective case study I have extracted themes of femininity, intimacy, and true and false self that unfolded during the work within the context of trauma. I have drawn from music therapy articles on trauma (Austin 2002; Sutton 2002), developmental theories (Bowlby 1988; Winnicott 2005); and psychoanalytic writings focusing on trauma (Kalsched 1996; Klein 1984; Levine 1997).